Movie Review: ‘The Good Dinosaur’ is ‘good’ but comes up short of great

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GOOD DINOSAUR (PG)

The geniuses at Pixar are so damn good at what they do that when they release a picture that is considered somewhat disappointing—a rarity for Pixar—it’s kind of a shock. “The Good Dinosaur” has been plagued with a myriad of problems throughout production. Not only was the original director replaced, but at one point, even several vocal cast members were switched out for new ones. So given the somewhat turbulent production, it may come as quite the surprise that numerous flaws aside, there’s still quite a bit worth recommending in this film.

“The Good Dinosaur” imagines a world where dinosaurs  ended up hanging around on our planet much longer than the history books would suggest. A sweet-natured Apatosaurus family—comprising Poppa, Momma, and youngsters Buck, Libby, and Arlo—have made a home for themselves in a vast country landscape by way of tending to crops and harvesting corn. They lead a somewhat simple life until tragedy strikes, forcing specific members of the family to work twice as hard in order to ensure their survival during the tough winter months.

Arlo has it the hardest, as this youngster is afraid of his own shadow, but after being swept away by the river that runs through his family’s territory, he’s plunged into an adventure that will force him to face his fears head on. As fate would have it, though, he won’t have to endure the epic, arduous journey home by himself. He’ll be accompanied by a feral human child whom he affectionately refers to as “Spot.”

Two things you should know about “The Good Dinosaur” right up front: It’s animated, and the dinosaurs talk. The third thing you may want to be aware of is that this film might be a little too intense for the under-10 crowd. There are certainly moments of cuteness here, but “The Good Dinosaur” is considerably scarier than the likes of “The Land Before Time” and “We’re Back: A Dinosaur’s Story.”

Age appropriateness aside, Pixar has done some breathtaking work in terms of the landscapes. The locations in “The Good Dinosaur” are truly spectacular. In fact, they’re photo-real on a new level. Some might argue that the photo-real nature of the proceedings take away from what makes an animated feature so special. Well, you’ll be happy to know that the dinosaurs themselves do look animated. However, I found the character designs for the dinosaurs themselves to be frustratingly dull.

Thankfully, the animators redeem themselves with Spot. Not only is this feral child a beautifully drawn character, but he brings emotional weight to the picture. In fact, there were a handful of moments in “The Good Dinosaur” when I was convinced that the filmmakers were telling the wrong story. Perhaps this should have been Spot’s tale rather than Arlo’s. Not that Arlo doesn’t learn a handful of very valuable lessons throughout this picture, but he has the good fortune of having someone by his side. Spot, on the other hand, has endured many of his hardships alone.

From a story standpoint, “The Good Dinosaur” treads familiar Disney ground, and while the cowboy/western approach (think “Rango”) didn’t quite work for me, there were plenty of moments that did. Visually speaking, there is plenty to marvel at here, and in terms of drama, the final five minutes of this picture are enough to drive a grown man to weep. No one pulls at the heartstrings quite like Pixar.

Again, it should be noted that “The Good Dinosaur” is pretty intense and features—among other things—a flock of psychotic pterodactyls, a menacing cobra, a youngster that likes to bite the heads off beetles, and a very scary depiction of every child’s worse nightmare.

Intensity and flaws aside, the uneven “The Good Dinosaur” offers up plenty of moments that represent the very best that Pixar has to offer. In fact, I would say it has enough solid moments that “Cars 2” still remains the lone blemish on Pixar’s stellar resume.